Grant In Aid 2024

Applications due by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, September 4, 2024

Purpose | The Graduate Medical Education (GME) and Research Advisory Committee through the Prisma Health Midlands Foundation recognizes the importance of resident involvement in research and quality improvement activities as part of a comprehensive graduate medical education experience. It therefore wishes to support meritorious, resident-initiated research and quality improvement projects.

Nature of Projects

• Any (1) clinical or basic science research or (2) quality improvement/assurance project related to the medical mission of Prisma Health.
• All projects are expected to be of such a nature that they can be completed prior to graduation.
• Collaborative, interdisciplinary projects are highly encouraged.

Eligibility | Any medical, dental or pharmacy resident at Prisma Health-Midlands and/or the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia in good standing may submit one project for each calendar year.

Deadline | Proposals must be submitted electronically by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, September 4, 2024. Applications that are not complete, do not comply with the instructions or do not have proper approvals will not be reviewed.

Funding Amount | Awards totaling up to $60,000 on an annual basis will be made available. Residents may apply for up to $15,000. Note, a retrospective chart review, survey or quality improvement project may only request up to $5,000. Upon completion of the project, but prior to the submission of a final report, up to $1,000 of additional funds may be requested to be used for publication fees for manuscripts. (See Publications section below for more details.)

Grant Timeline

• The Grant in Aid Review Committee will review proposals and make recommendations on funding priority to the GME and Research Committee in early to mid-October.
• Awardees will be notified in early to mid-November.
• Grant awards are expected to begin by the end of November.

Selection Criteria/Review Process | The GME and Research Committee, with the assistance of the Grant in Aid Review Committee, will competitively review the submitted proposals, rank them in order of priority of merit and fund those deemed most worthy of support. The following criteria are considered during the review of the proposals:

• Overall relevance to intent of program. Does the overall proposal represent the type of resident research or quality improvement project that the Grant in Aid program intends to support?
• Background. Are the preliminary data/literature references provided adequate to justify the proposed project?
• Statement of problem. Is the rationale for the project clearly stated and clinically relevant?
• Goal. Is it clear what is to be accomplished by the end of the project? Will the question or hypothesis being tested contribute important knowledge to the field? Is it clearly stated how the project will impact clinical practice/processes? Each proposal should include a paragraph that explains the project’s clinical significance as it relates to the population of South Carolina, and the project’s impact on clinical practice/ process.
• Scientific feasibility. Is the project doable based on current scientific capabilities or prior experience? Are specified resources adequate? Are the investigators’ assumptions regarding subject recruitment adequate?
• Project design. Is the design of the project appropriate for the questions posed? Are the proposed outcome measures appropriate for design and project rationale? Are protocol eligibility (inclusion/ exclusion) criteria clearly stated? Are all proposed tests, measurements, or interventions necessary to answer the scientific question? Have the validity of proposed measures been established or are there methods proposed for establishing validity? Are project endpoints appropriately defined and adequate?
• Statistical considerations. Are the sample size and justification, estimated accrual time, duration and statistical analysis clearly described and adequate to meet the project objectives?
• Project plan. Is the project plan clear and appropriate to address the proposed problem? Are potential alternatives addressed? Are there milestones to measure progress? Is the desired end result of the project appropriate?
• Timing. Based on the project plan, will the project be completed within two (2) years and/or prior to graduation?
• Budget. Is the budget appropriate/reasonable for the proposed effort?
• Past performance. Timely submission of reports and response to requested information by the faculty advisor/mentor and resident will be taken into consideration.

Application Instructions and Guidelines | Each proposal should consist of a short-term (to be completed in two (2) years or less), concise research or quality improvement project, which has been largely developed by one or more current resident(s) at Prisma Health-Midlands to gain experience with planning and execution of research and quality improvement projects and the interpretation of findings.

• The resident(s) must be sponsored by at least one current faculty or private physician associated with the resident’s program (faculty advisor/mentor). If the faculty advisor/mentor leaves during the project period, a replacement advisor/mentor with Prisma Health-Midlands/USC School of Medicine Columbia should be confirmed in a progress report update.
• All applicants are encouraged to seek assistance from their selected faculty advisor/mentor prior to submission. A robust description of your planned methodology is required in the proposal.
• Proposals are to be submitted using the on-line application.
• Applications must include items listed on the Grant In Aid Submission Checklist.

Conditions of the Award

1. Institutional reviews. Upon receiving the award, it is the responsibility of each awardee team to meet necessary institutional requirements including but not limited to Institutional Review Board, Research Data Consultation and Clearance Intake process and/or other institutional and/or outside entity reviews/approvals prior to activating an award.

2. Use of funds. Grant funds must be used exclusively for the purposes and in the manner set forth in the application unless approved otherwise through the progress reporting process.

• Allowable expenses include research assistant services (e.g., student internship stipends); equipment costing less than $1,000; research supplies and animal costs; computer-related costs unless generally covered by Prisma Health Information Technology Services; special costs (pathology, laboratory, audiovisual, etc.); travel related to the dissemination of the research results (capped at $1,500 per resident on the project).
• Non-allowable expenses include provider or resident salaries; indirect costs; per diem charges for medical and hospital care; dues or memberships; books and periodicals; furniture; travel by non-resident co-investigators for the dissemination of the project results; travel by any investigator to conferences when the project results will not be presented. Do not include publication fees in the project budget, as the fee must be requested in addition to the requested budget when needed: see Publications section.
• Other budgetary requirements and recommendations may be found in the Grant In Aid Budget template. Unexpended grant funds at the conclusion of the project must be returned. If the award is utilized to purchase equipment, the equipment must be retained and used within the residency program in which the resident/fellow resides upon completion of the project. The equipment cannot be retained for personal use by the resident/fellow. Travel related to the dissemination of the project results MUST be completed during the awardee’s residency (e.g., the travel cannot occur after graduation).

3. Progress reports. Awardees are required to submit progress reports annually by May 31 of each year. Reports should present the progress of the project and compare milestones achieved versus those planned in the original submission. Requests for extensions (see below), project modifications and changes to the budget should be addressed in the progress reports. A progress report template is available on the Grant In Aid webpage. These reports should be submitted electronically to Heather Schwartz and will be reviewed by the GME and Research Advisory Committee.

4. Extensions. One no-cost extension of the terms of the award for up to one (1) year past the initial project plan end date may be requested to extend the budget period. Thus, the maximum length of a project cannot extend past three (3) years. A request for an extension with a progress report must state the reason(s) for the extension, length of the extension requested, and an explanation of how the reason(s) for the delay has been rectified. After a project has been active for three (3) years, the project must be closed by submitting a final report. A new application for an updated project may be submitted following the above requirements.

5. Final report. A final report, which includes:

• An abstract/executive summary of the completed project;
• A copy of the end result of the project as indicated in the original submission;
• A final financial report summarizing the expenditures of the grant funds, must be submitted at the completion of the project and prior to graduation.

A final report template is available on the Grant In Aid webpage. Final reports should be submitted electronically to Heather Schwartz and will be shared with the GME and Research Advisory Committee. Failure to complete the proposed project and submit timely progress reports and a final report may result in the need to refund the grant money utilized for the project. Faculty advisors please note: failure to submit timely progress and final reports may jeopardize future awards for your residents.

6. Presentation. Awardees are required to provide a poster/oral presentation at a Prisma Health function or other approved activity. Presentations are required on an annual basis. For quality improvement projects, the results may be presented at an appropriate Prisma Health-Midlands meeting/committee identified at the discretion of the Chief Academic Officer in addition to the normal presentation requirement.

7. Publications. Any publication(s) resulting from an award should acknowledge the Graduate Medical

Education and Research Advisory Committee through the Prisma Health Midlands Foundation and must adhere to all pertinent Prisma Health policies. As noted under the Funding Amount section, up to $1,000 may be requested in addition to the awarded budget to be used for publication fees. Send a request via email to Heather Schwartz indicating the manuscript title, the journal where the manuscript will be submitted, and the publication fee amount. If the publication fee is greater than $1,000, the expense must be covered personally or by the home department. The payment of the publication fee will follow the normal funding process set forth by the Grant In Aid program.

Questions | General questions about proposals and review process should be addressed to Heather Schwartz.